The Fault in Our Stars Leaked Trailer Reaction

Hola!
So, The Fault in Our Stars trailer was leaked today and I saw it! Here was my reaction.

Blog to you later! 

Love, 

Amanda 

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Favorite 2013 Moments

Hola!

Here are some of my most memorable moments from 2013 in no particular order.

1. Started my first year at Portland State University.             
2. Watched the Golden Globes and the Oscars. 
3. Stood in the elevator with Jacob Black.
4. Met Jodi Picoult.                                                               
5. Toured Warner Bros. Studios with my dad and brother.    
6. Visited my friend Derek in Burbank. 
7. Went to a Dodgers game with Derek, brother, and Dad. 
8. Went to 10 concerts.                                                                                                
9. Pet-sitted a lot.                                                                                        
10. Went to my aunt's baby shower in Utah.
11. Turned 21 this year! (Had my first alcoholic drink ever. Favorite drink: Mojito.)
12. Next day my friends threw a surprise party for me! It was my first surprise party ever!  
13. Brother graduated High School!                                                                      
14. Got the Fault in our Stars audiobook! 
15. Went to Disneyland and Hollywood with Roommate Jamie in June.      
16. Saw Mary Poppins the musical at Tuacahn. 
17. Went fishing with my Grandpa and cousin Jessica at Fish Lake, Utah.                               
18. Visited Uta in Germany for a week.                                                        
19. Visited Erika Juengling in Utah.                                                                 
20. My friend from Japan, Natsuki, stayed with me for a week.   
21. Went river rafting with my parents. 
22. Went to a wedding in San Francisco.                                                                                  
23. My twin cousins (Ashlynn Brooke and Alex Paige Yancey) were born August 1st.
24. Went to a wedding in Salem.  
25. Finished watching DEXTER. 
26. Drove from Portland to the Nightmare Factory in Salem with Michelle and Jamie. 
27. Flew out to twin cousins' baby blessing during the first week of November.         
28. Visited my brother in Bozeman, Montana (that's where he goes to school now).       
29. Went to THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE midnight premiere!       
30. Went ice skating over Thanksgiving Break. 
31. Flew to Paris. Stayed at the airport for 6 hours. 
32. Went to Prague with Jamie!                                                                                         
33. Finished watching BREAKING BAD. 
34. My cousin Jeremy got back from his mission in South Korea!
35. Read 16 books!
36. Went to Disneyland with my little cousins in December.

That's all I can remember! 

How about you?

What fun things did you do last year?

Blog to you later!

Love, 

Amanda 

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Concerts: 2013

Hola!

This post is a little late, but better late than never! Here is the list of concerts I went to last year.

1. Muse (opening: Band of Skulls).
2. The Neighborhood (94 cent show) at the Crystal Ballroom.
3. Goldfields (opening: White Arrows) (94 cent show) at the Crystal Ballroom.
4. Went to a concert on the Portland Spirit. 
5. Capital Cities (opening: Goldfields) at the Hawthorne Theatre. 
6. Of Monsters and Men. 
7. The Skaters (I think that's what their name was. It was another 94 cent show) at the Crystal Ballroom. 
8. LORDE at the Crystal Ballroom.
9. Fitz and the Tantrums (opening: The Features) at the Crystal Ballroom.
10. Bastille (opening: NoNoNo) at the Crystal Ballroom. 

Normally I go to one concert a year, so this was a big awesome change. Here is the link to my favorite songs from last year. 

Did you go to any concerts last year?

If so, which ones? 

Blog to you later!

Love, 

Amanda

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Utopia

Hola! 

Here is a blog post I had to write for my writing class. And if you want to read it on my less fancy blog here is the link, but it is basically the same thing. 

Prompt: “What is your idea of a utopia?”

After reading this prompt I realized that I do not normally think about utopias as much as I do dystopias since it is one of my favorite genres to read about in literature. Some of my favorite dystopian novels include "The Hunger Games," "The Giver," "Divergent,"  "Fahrenheit 451," and many, many more. I think the thing that interests me the most about these worlds is that they initially started off with a way of living that was supposed to benefit the community, but eventually turned into something evil due to a particular group or person lusting after power. For example in Veronica Roth’s novel “Divergent” a futuristic Chicago is divided into 5 different factions: Amity (Love), Abnegation (Selflessness), Erudite (Intelligence), Candor (Honesty), and Dauntless (Bravery). These were the virtues that society saw fit as the most important and at sixteen-years-old the youth takes a test to see which faction they would fit into best. However, the book’s protagonist Beatrice Prior discovers that she fits into every faction because she is Divergent and that is not allowed. You will have to read the book or see the movie (which comes out on March21st, 2014) to see what happens next, but I think it is pretty obvious that Beatrice being Divergent is a very bad thing and Chicago’s perfect society is not really that perfect.

Anyhow, I guess what I am trying to get at is that I am a little skeptical of the idea of a coming up with my own version of a utopia mainly because I am scared of the potential flaws in my plan. It seems like there is no perfect society out there. People are always trying to fix things no matter what.

In any case, here is my idea of a Utopia.

My idea of a Utopia is where people are rewarded for good deeds and positivity. It took me a while to think this through and it is not perfect, but here is what I would do. (It is a little sci-fi-ish by the way.)

At birth everyone is given a bracelet that monitors their moods and basically every thing they do. When a person thinks good thoughts, is kind to others, does community service, works hard in school, etc, they are rewarded points. It’s kind of like in Harry Potter when Professor McGonagall says, “Your triumphs will earn you points, any rule-breaking and you will lose points.”

With this system people are encouraged to help decrease (as John Green describes it) “world suck.”

Now what can you do with these points? Good question.

Well, first of all the world is the same as far as jobs and money are concerned, so you can’t use the points toward more money. However, you can use these points to get better health insurance, have your schooling paid for, get travel benefits, etc. You can choose from any one of these after your eighteenth birthday.

If people are struggling with keeping positive counseling is mandatory. The bracelet will be able to tell when a person is being genuine too, so people can’t fake it. When people are mean to their self or mean to others they get points taken away or more severely jail.

Yes, it’s not perfect, but its intentions are to make the world a happier and more positive place.

How about you?

What would your Utopia be?

Blog to you later!

Love, 

Amanda 

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Favorite Books of 2013

Here is a list of my favorite books from 2013. 

1. "Zombies Hate Stuff" by Greg Stones. This is a fun picture book that I like to look through every once in a while. It has hilarious pictures. I totally recommend it! Click here to see Greg Stones' website. 
   
2. "Anna & the French Kiss" by Stephanie Perkins. I loved this book! I wanted nothing more than to read it until I finished it. It's a romance that involves a private school in Paris and a very attractive british boy. I love books with travel in it, so this was great! Especially since I've been to Paris before. It's got great humor and is just ridiculously cute! I want to read everything by Stephanie Perkins now. 
   
3. "The Storyteller" by Jodi Picoult. I actually got this book signed by her, which was awesome! This book is very intense. I think it is her best book, which is saying a lot since she has a ton of awesome books. However, I think this one just wraps up perfectly. The ending was a huge shocker to me. There's lots of characters and it makes you feel so much. It was hard to read before bed though, so beware. I totally recommend it though! 
   
4. "My Life Next Door" by Huntley Fitzpatrick. This is probably one my favorite love stories I've read in a while. It's super cute. It's about this girl who falls in love with the boy next door and it's just perfect. I highly, highly recommend this book! I liked it better than "Anna & the French Kiss" actually. Click here to read a cute interview with the author.
   
5. "The Glass Castle" by Jeanette Walls. Wow. Just amazing. Incredible writing, incredible life. I can't wait for the movie with Jennifer Lawrence. 
   
6. "Stolen" by Lucy Christopher. This is about stockholm syndrome. It's about a girl who was kidnapped from an airport and taken to Australia. It's written in the form of a letter to her abductor. It's haunting and beautiful and you have to read it. The movie rights were sold and I can't wait to see it brought to life. Click here to watch a filmed interview with Lucy Christopher. 
   
7. "Wonder" by R.J. Palacio. A great story about a disfigured kid. I love reading middle grade and this was a heartbreakingly beautiful story. Told from different perspectives and really makes you think about the world in a different light. The writing is fantastic as well. Click here to watch the book trailer. 
   
8. "Making A Good Brain Great" by Dr. Daniel Amen. I'm a nerd when it comes to this brain and I read this for fun over the summer. It's fantastic! Talks about ways you can improve your life by focusing on your brain. It's brilliant. Just brilliant. Read it! 
   

How about you?

What was your favorite book of 2013?

Blog to you later!

Love, 

Manders

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Favorite TV Shows of 2013

Here is a list of my favorite TV shows from 2013. In order from my most favorite to least favorite.

Drama:

1. BREAKING BAD (Watched in 10 weeks. Took me a while to get hooked. I really had to force myself to watch at first, but then loved it! Best show ever in my opinion. Excellent character development, writing, and acting.)
2. THE KILLING (Didn't like the 3rd season, but the first 2 were great. This is also one of my favorite scores of all time. I also really love the Seattle, WA setting; it's eerie.)
3. DOWNTON ABBEY (Again, this one took me a couple of episodes to get obsessed. I loved this show and then hated it by the end of Season 3. Too many deaths. It was ridiculous.)
4. DEXTER (Worst Series Finale Ever. Seriously.) 

Comedy: 

1. PARKS AND RECREATION (I am in love with this show. Love, love, love it. Ron Swanson is my favorite character and I love Treat Yo' Self and Little Sebastian.)
2. THE OFFICE (Perfect ending to a great show.) 

Reality TV: 

1. MASTER CHEF JUNIOR (This show is the most amazing thing ever. You have to watch it. Kids cooking masterpieces. Ages 8 - 13. This show was so emotional!)

That's it.

How about you? What was your favorite TV you watched this year?

Blog to you later!

Love, 

Manders

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Favorite Music of 2013

I did this last year, so I'm doing it again  (Favorite Music from 2012).
Here are some of my favorite songs from this year in no particular order (also, some of these songs didn't actually come out this year, but I listened to them a lot or was introduced to them).

1.  "In Summer" Olaf/Josh Gad from Disney's FROZEN
2. "Let It Go" Elsa/ Idina Menzel from Disney's FROZEN
3. "Things We Lost In The Fire" Bastille (saw in concert this year)
4. "Flaws" Bastille 
5. "Pumpin Blood" NoNoNo (saw in concert this year)
6. "Business Time" Flight of the Conchords
7. "This Disorder" The Features (saw in concert this year)
8. "Hot in Herre" Nelly but only love it because it's at the end of Austenland.
9. "How Long Will I Love You" (Not Sure)
10. "Can't Hold Us" Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
11. "Wake Me Up" Avicii
12. "Same Love" Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
13. "Royals" LORDE
14. "The Walker" Fitz & the Tantrums (saw in concert this year)
15. "Spark" Fitz & the Tantrums
16. "Out Of My League" Fitz & the Tantrums
17. "Coming or Going" White Arrows (saw in concert this year)
18. "What The Fox Say?" Ylvis
19. Great Gatsby Soundtrack
20. World War Z score
21. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire score
22. "Radioactive" Imagine Dragons
23. The Killing score
24. "When I'm Gone" Anna Kendrick
25. "Get Lucky" Daft Punk (not one my favorite songs, but it brings back really good memories).
26. "Clouds" Zach Sobiech
27. "Fix Me Up" Zach Sobiech and Sammy Brown 
28. "Counting Stars" One Republic
29. "Feel Again" One Republic
30. The Spectacular Now score
31. "Hey Baby" Pitbull ft. T-Pain (Great Zumba song!)
32. "My First My Last My Everything" Barry White (Great JUST DANCE 3 song!)
33. "Follow the Leader" Jennifer Lopez (great Zumba song!)
34. "Titanium" David Guetta (another great Zumba song!)
35. "Just Give Me a Reason" Pink & Nate Ruess
36. "Safe and Sound" Capital Cities (saw in concert this year)
37. "Lakehouse" Of Monsters and Men (saw in concert this year)
38. "Summertime Sadness" Lana Del Rey
39. "San Francisco" The Mowgli's 

I think that's all the ones I can think of off the top of my head. 

How about you?

What were your favorite songs from 2013?

Blog to you later!

Love, 

Manders 

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